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Admit it: you want to be cool. Cool is a destination: everyone else has arrived, but you can't seem to catch up. Cool is a security blanket: you wear it ragged and hide beneath its tatters. Cool is a coping mechanism: you're leaning on it, and it keeps breaking down on you. Sooner or later, you'll count yourself among the uncool: in those moments when everybody gets the joke but you, when the new kid's swagger leaves you self-conscious, when your friends invite you to do what you swore you'd never do. In those moments God sees you and calls you blessed. In Blessed Are the Uncool Paul Grant deconstructs the cultural phenomenon of cool, an ever-elusive, exclusionary act of perpetual rebellion for rebellion's sake. A life spent chasing after cool is exposed for the fickle, fruitless and ultimately inauthentic life that it is. In its place God offers you community: where exclusion is replaced with love, rebellion is redeemed with hope, and your longings are answered with faith that in Christ, God is reconciling this uncool world to himself.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Blessed are the Uncool will be life affirming for all people (not just teens) who want to break out of that self-protective attitude and be real with the body of Christ.

From the title I had expected a light-hearted book on coolness but found one that, while often humorous, packs a lot of research into a mere 140 pages.

In this book Grant shows that the church must avoid worrying about being "cool" and instead spread the warmth of Gods love. An excellent discussion starter for youth or young adult classes, yet all ages could benefit from Grants insights.

Review

"Blessed Are the Uncool is a passionate call to return to personal and spiritual authenticity, a spiritually intelligent rebuke to those of us who often forget that as believers, we are called to follow Jesus and not social norms. This book challenges us all to resist the natural urge to be conformed to our world and inspires us to trust Jesus for a powerful inward transformation that will cause a prevailing and appealing draw of others to follow him."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I read this book in small segments. It's a lot of meat to digest. The subtitle of Blessed are the Uncool is "Living Authentically in a World of Show." It describes the gist of the book very well. No one likes fake people, yet we as Christians all struggle with being authentic. We've grown up in a society that loves cool and being uncool is not something any of us strives for. But the author makes an excellent point as he digs up the origin of "cool." Somehow in the process of protecting our own hearts we have distanced ourselves from the hearts of others, and in effect, often distance ourselves from the Lord as well.

Sometimes all it takes is a little playground teasing and we learn to be cool to cope, but at the expense of true relationships. Being a Christian shouldn't be about being "cool" according to Paul Grant, because the crux of being "cool" separates us from one another, and that isn't God's will for the church. The author delves into a variety of subjects to support his belief. I have to say I agree with him and have struggle myself with the whole "cool" image.

This book is about being real. It's about loving people where they hurt most. Most of all it's not redundant (I dislike non-fiction books that repeat the same theme on every page.) I highly recommend Blessed are the Uncool for all people (not just teens) who want to break out of that self-protective attitude and be real with the body of Christ.

Paul Grant has given the church and the world a tremendous gift in a book that combines the Gospel, sociology, racial reconciliation, history, discipleship, church life, and the Kingdom of God. Grant's prose moves quickly filled with both humor and heart. This is the best book I have read since coming out of seminary. This is a must read for teens and young adults. Highly recommended.

This book is a huge mess. It lacks structure, direction and organization. It comes out as "stuff about cool and other related (and even some non-related) topics."

The book is very challenging in places. But it lacks a definition of "cool," and does not deal with hard questions about cool (like what is the difference between normal teen-age separation from parents and "cool"?). It also fails to distinguish between ungodly cool and just "fitting in" to avoid being a target of other teens' ugly words. Is it always wrong to "fit in?" why or why not? These are real questions that need a real answer.

Further, the book wanders everywhere. It includes everything from claiming cool came from Africa (!) to much slamming of the white church while exalting African churches.

The author needs to go back and rethink cool. He needs to get a working definition of cool. He needs to quit trying to write dramatic prose and indict the world. He needs to figure out what he is saying about "cool" and then say it in practical terms.

Until then, I can't recommend this book. It's interesting, enlightening in places, and a real mess to read.

More About the Author

Paul Glen Grant was born in Boise, Idaho, grew up in Switzerland, and returned to the United States in 1992. His writings continually return to the problem of life together in a multi-ethnic world. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife and three children, where he is completing a dissertation in history.